1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to internet web browsers. More particularly, the invention concerns an internet web browser that displays hyperlinks enhanced by the addition of colors, font changes, graphics, and other presentation attributes that represent characteristics from past visits to the hyperlinked web sites.
2. Description of the Related Art
Web browsers provide one of the most popular ways to access the internet. Broadly, a web browser is a computer program that provides a user friendly, graphical interface to display the contents of internet worldwide web pages (“web pages”). Web browser software directs the user's computer to play sounds, run programs, download software, and display text, graphics, and video. Although invisible to the computer user, web browsers actually operate by retrieving and then executing a web site's underlying program content, which takes the form of hypertext markup language (“HTML”) or a similar language.
When displayed by a web browser, most web pages contain one or more “hyperlinks.” From the user's perspective, a hyperlink is an on-screen input mechanism, serving an analogous function as a switch, dial, or other physical input apparatus. Hyperlinks are often implemented as graphics icons or text strings. The user activates the hyperlink by operating his/her mouse to place the cursor over the hyperlink and then “clicking” a mouse button; in response, the web browser causes some action to be performed. Frequently, this action involves changing the web browser's display to show a different web page, namely, that web page represented by the hyperlink. Other hyperlink actions include downloading software, displaying video, etc.
Some web browsers can be configured to automatically display hyperlinked web pages as underlined text. As an example, a web browser may display a hyperlink consisting of “IBM Patent Server”. When the user mouse-clicks on this hyperlink, the web browser loads a web page represented by the hyperlink, in this example “http://www.patents.ibm.com/ibm.html.” Instead of automatically displaying hyperlinked web pages as underlined text, some web browsers can be configured to temporarily add underlining when the cursor nears the hyperlink text. This feature is present, for example, in the Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer Version 4.72.3612.1713, dated 1995-1997.
Although certain brands of web browser software enjoy widespread commercial success today, engineers at International Business Machines Corp. (“IBM”) are continually seeking to improve the performance and efficiency of the human-machine interface, including features such as web browsers. One feature under consideration, for example, is the use of one color (such as purple) to display hyperlinked web sites that the user has visited, and another color (such as blue) to display hyperlinked web sites that the user has not visited. As recognized by the present inventors, this arrangement may not be suitable for color blind people. In this and other respects, the present inventors have discovered that known web browser software is not completely adequate for some applications due to certain unsolved problems.